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Pilot Accelerator

Polish your pitch

A three-week intensive virtual program with sessions that include critiques, legal information, and pitch coaching.

Pitch to major studios

Companies including HBO, Netflix and many more will take meetings with our fellows.

Get read by industry insiders

Our panel of prestigious judges are producers and writers on your favorite shows, and they want to read your work!

Applications for a our 2023 accelerator are closed. Make sure you're on our mailing list to get notified before the next accelerator!

In this highly competitive virtual accelerator program for TV writers, 6-8 fellows will receive three weeks of industry training before having the opportunity to pitch to major studios, production companies and producers. The entire accelerator, including training and pitching, will occur online.


The goal of this program is to launch the careers of our fellows, which could take the form of selling their TV pilot; securing follow-up meetings with executives; getting hired as a freelance writer, staff writer or writing support staff on an existing series; and/or making valuable industry contacts.

Fellows will be selected with the help of industry judges.

See below for the timeline. If you have any questions not answered here or on our FilmFreeway page, visit our FAQ or register for our free info session on Nov. 1. 

Who's hearing pitches
Who is hearing pitches

The 6-8 selected fellows will have the opportunity to pitch their pilots to an elite group of studios, production companies and producers. These pitches will happen in April over Zoom.

Netflix (1)
HBO
hulu
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Fabel

"Bosch"

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"Normal People," "Conversations With Friends"

Yes, Norman

"The Flight Attendant," "Harley Quinn"

Anonymous Content

"Dickinson," "True Detective," "Maniac," "Mr. Robot"

irishcowboy

"The Umbrella Academy," "Fargo

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"Killing Eve," "Ragdoll"

Shoot To Midnight

"Russian Doll" "The Acolyte"

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Management and production

sutton street productions

"Good Sam," "Broke"

Syndicate Entertainment

"Tár", "The Midnight Sky"

blumhouse-television

"The Good Lord Bird"

Good Question

"The Witch"

Here's what our past fellows had to say:

 I could not recommend applying to this lab enough. I will always be so honored and grateful to have been selected as a fellow. It really was a game-changer.

— Vivian Kerr

I liked how the program had such a clear and concise goal of preparing a pitch. It's already opened up doors for me. I feel more confident in my skills as a writer and creator. I would absolutely recommend the program to other writers.

— Ramou Sarr

I'm a person who actively dissuades writers from spending tons of money on contests. But this entry fee is one of the few that is 100% worth it. This program delivered not just mentoring and an amazing creative community, but real introductions to executives who there's potential to work with in the future.

— Kate Torgovnick May

When I entered this program, pitching was the thing that frightened me the most out of everything required of a writer. I have gained so much confidence in myself and my ability pitch my ideas! I've also made amazing friendships that I'll take with me on this journey.

— Danielle Nicki

The culture of collaboration was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I feel like I've been welcomed into a family. Truly. 

— Joanne Thomson

Who is judging the submissions
Judges

Semi-finalists' pilots will be read by an incredible group of judges, including showrunners, executive producers, series creators and TV writers. This panel of judges will help us select the finalists, who will then go through a virtual interview before the 6-8 fellows are selected. Even if you are not selected as a fellow, there is still a chance you might be contacted if one of these judges likes your script enough to interview or refer you for a writing position.

Click on the pictures to read more about these judges!

Timeline
Progam details

The virtual accelerator runs from late March through mid-April. The 6-8 fellows who are accepted into this program will spend several weeks polishing their pitches through sessions with guest speakers and peer review before a week of pitching to studio executives and production companies. All sessions and pitches will take place through Zoom.

Fellows are required to attend every session. Here are the dates (note these dates and times are subject to change):

October 17, 2022 - January 4, 2023:

Application period

Late January 2023

Quarter-finalists announced. Quarter-finalists will be required to submit a 2-minute video for further consideration.

February 2023

Semi-finalists announced. Semi-finalists' scripts will be read and scored by industry judges. 

Semi-finalists will gain access to a library of select virtual workshops from the Women’s Weekend Film Challenge virtual workshop series. Plus, they'll attend an exclusive virtual networking event, where they'll meet their fellow semi-finalists.

March 2023:

Finalists announced. All finalists will be interviewed virtually.

Mid-March 2023:

Fellows are announced. Fellows will have assigned work to complete before the beginning of the program, including reading other fellows' scripts, watching several virtual workshops and polishing pitch materials.

March 30, 31, April 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. PT / 2-5 p.m. ET:

Accelerator workshops (see below for more information). Exact times and dates are subject to change.

April 17-21, 2023:

Pitch week! Prior to this week, we will send the fellows' loglines to the companies and individuals signed on to hear pitches. They will each select three pitches they would like to hear based on those loglines. Fellows will be notified with the exact dates and times of their pitch meetings a few days in advance. 

Timeline
Accelerator Curriculum

Pitch feedback

With special guest Elle Johnson

Elle Johnson is a TV Writer and Executive Producer who has written and produced shows from "Law & Order," "CSI: Miami," "Saving Grace," and "The Glades," to "Ghost Whisperer," "The Fosters,” and "Any Day Now.” She was an EP on the Amazon Original Series “Bosch.” And the co-showrunner on Netflix’s NAACP Award winning limited series "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.” 

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Mock writers room

With special guest Matthew J. Lieberman

Matthew is currently the co-executive producer of Netflix’s hit show "The Lincoln Lawyer." Prior to that, he was on “Queen of the South” for Disney and USA. Other credits include "The Glades" and "Judging Amy." He has also sold over ten pilots, and spent more than half his career in development.

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Legal information for creatives

With special guest Anuj Gupta

Entertainment lawyer Anuj Gupta is the founder of First Gen Law, Gupta IP and co-founder of Sankara Pictures. Previously, he served as the head of legal and business affairs at companies including eko, W*E Interactive Ventures JV and Mashable. He also worked at Facebook and Vox Media.

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Pitch coaching

With special guest Samara Bay

Samara Bay is an author and speech coach whose clients range from candidates for Congress to C-suite executives, and Hollywood celebrities; as a dialect coach, she's worked on projects like Wonder Woman 1984, American Crime Story: Versace, and Hunters. Her book, PERMISSION TO SPEAK, is a revolution in how to think about your voice.

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Pitch feedback

With special guest Jasmine Russ

Jasmine is the vice president of production and development at Fabel Entertainment where she specializes in genre blending, horror, comedy and first time creators. As an executive at Fabel, Jasmine has set up multiple projects at Netflix, Amazon and IMDb TV, as well as working with the team to shepherd and grow the development slate.

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Perfecting the logline

With Katrina Medoff and Tracy Sayre

As founders and executive directors of Women's Weekend Film Challenge, Katrina and Tracy have produced 36 short films and advanced the careers of over 900 women and nb filmmakers. Through their workshop series, they have interviewed dozens of Hollywood power players, and as part of the pilot accelerator, they have coached emerging TV writers for major industry meetings.

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Read coverage of our pilot accelerator on DeadlineVariety, tv tech,and Women and Hollywood:

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More questions?

Register for our free info session on Nov. 1. Attendees will receive a discount code and a chance to win a hard drive from our sponsors at Western Digital and SanDisk Professional.  You can also check out our FAQ page.

Sponsored in part by:

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